Half to george



{No Model.)

L. W. -MERRIAM.

NON-REFILLABLB BOTTLE.

- No. 599,185. Patented Feb; 15, 1898.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LYMAN W. MERRIAM, OF FITOHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO GEORGE O. ALLEN, OF SAME PLACE.

NON-REFILLABLE BOTTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,185, dated February 15, 1898.

Application filed une 4,1897. Serial No. 689 ,458. (No model.) 7

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LYMAN W. MERRIAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fitchburg, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Non-Refillable Bottles; and I do hereby declare-the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in bottles or liquid-containing receptacles of the general class denominated antirefillable bottles, the object of the invention being to prevent the refilling of the bottle with spurious contents of fraudulent dealers after the original genuine contents of the bottle have been disposed of; and the invention therefore consists, essentially, in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, substantially as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of my improved antirefillable bottle, the mouth end only of the same being shown. Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of the lockingstopper. Fig. 3 is a detail plan View of the bent ring employed in connection with the aforesaid stopper for looking it in the mouth end of the bottle. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a channeled block which forms one element of my antirefillable combination. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the channeled block shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the weight or device situated between the valve and the channeled block and resting on the former. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a modification of the valve. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the modification of the valve.

Similar letters of reference represent corresponding parts throughout the different figures.

A designates an example of bottle presented herein simply byway of illustration, the same having the interior neck-bore a, which maybe of any suitable dimensions, it being at one point of a suitable diameter to provide a seat 50 for the valve F. The diameter of the mouth between the seat of the valve F and the periphery of the mouth is suitably shaped and varied to admit the locking-stopper, the channeled block, and the weight, which cooperate as I shall presently explain. At the periphery of the mouth is inserted the looking-stopper B, having a flange B which fits over the most diameter of the opening I) is preferably one-half inch in diameter or about one-fifth of a square inch in circular area.

The seat for the valve F is preferably five eighths of an inch in diameter at the point of smallest diameter or about three-tenths of a square inch in circular area.

The valve F may be madeof cork, glass,

metal, or any other suitable material, and itsshape may vary considerably. One form is represented in Fig. 1. Another form is delineated in Figs. 7 and 8. It may, if preferred, be made of a combination of glass and cork or other materials. When it is of the form shown in Fig. 7, it is preferably provided with an inset packing-ring of cork, as shown at f. It preferably has depending guides of the form F shown in Fig. l or the form F shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The valve F preferably has a weight of about fifty grains, although it can be made to successfully operate if its weight Varies from forty grains to sixty grains, and I therefore fix these limits for the proper weight of the valve for the given dimensions of bottle-neck.

The channeled block D is situated below the locking-stopper B, within the mouth of the bottle A, and resting in a stationary position on the ledge A formed within the mouth A, the said channeled block resting between the shoulder A andthe stopper B, the latter having on its under side a conical seat or recess to receive the upper similarly-shaped part of the block D. The periphery of the block D is provided with several notches or openings cut in the edge of block D, as is most clearly shown-in Fig. 5, said notches beingrepresented'by the reference-letter D; also, the upper part of block D is provided with several vertical notches or grooves cut therein at D It will be evident upon inspection of Figs. & and 5 that the peripheral QPQHings D g.

are not in line with the vertieal opningsp and that the passage of a wire or other instrument downwardly through the vertical openin gs D would not be effective in reaching the.

peripheral openings D for the purpose of passing therethrough and tampering with the] valve beneath. Thesevert ical openings D? are situated beneath the stopper-opening h. It will be evident that in pouring liquid out of the bottle it will first pass through the pe ripheral openings D then around thepei'iphe'ryotthe blockD until it reaches theseveral vertical openings D through which it'will 'pass,,'reaching the stopper-opening b" and isfass'mallas' is practicable for thearea of the outlet-epeni'ng and that good results may be achieved if the-opening be no smaller than ene-twelfth of a square inch and 'no larger than one-fifth 'of a square inch'."e., for the given diameter of the bore of the bottle-neck. The sum total of" the "several 1 peripheral openin gs D may vary considerably without any material or marked eifect upon 't he operation of the combination. I commonly em ploy impractice four of the vertical outlet-.

openingsD and likewise four of 'theperipheral'openings D; buttherequired area'of outlet op'enings,which, as I have said, isin the" present example one-seventh of a square inch, (with 'a, permissiblevariat ion"offrom one-twelfth to one-fifth,) maybe subdivided into less than four outlets or more than four,

as preferred. j On the under sideof the chain neled block D isacentral cone D surrounded byav shaped groove D which groove is cut in the under side of the block D soas toleave said conical projectionD E denotes a weight situated between the valve and the channeled block, said weight being movable and having'a hollow conical extension (3 on its upper side which is designed to fit loosely into the groove D and embrace the cone D and which likewise enables the weight E when below the blockD to'maintain' the proper relative position to the other parts,.said weight resting uponthe valveg'a e The weight of this weight E is preferably one hundred and thirty-two grains, although it may be'aslightas one hundred and thirty grains 3 but it should not be less than the latter weight, although itnh'ay be considerably heavier than one hundred and thirty-two grains, if desired. On the upper edge of weight E are several small projections or lifts e e, which come in contact with the lower face of the block D when the conical extension 6 engages the cone D said lifts being for the purpose of preventing a too close contact between the weight and the block D. Thus it' will be seen that for a given area of valve-seat or outlet-opening in the bottleneck, which area I have designated as threetenths of a square inch, and for a given area of nozzle-opening at the mouth end of the bottle-neck, the area of which opening I have specified as one-fifth of a square inch, the area of theoutlet-ports in the channeled block should be about one-seventh of a square inch, with a permissible variation of from 011etwelfth to one-fifth. The weight of the valve should be alo'out fifty grains "and the weight of'the weighhproper about onehundred and thirty grains; or more. Practicaltests have demonstrated the correctness of theseseveral dimensions and weights,and it has been found that any material departure therefrom-is attended 'with bad results, while "with" these "specified" proportions excellent results have been attained, and it has been found'i'mpossible to refill a bottle of the kind referred to after once its contents have been emptied. The "specified proportions not" only permit facility in" emptying the original contents from the bottle, but they effectually preclude the readmission tr anything more than a slight walnount'of liquid into the interior of the bottle again. I

- [The conical" extension? e: of the weight E should be so proportioned as to have sulfi'cient nrov'ement when it drops into groove D to allowthevalve' F to move from its seat the distance of aboutone-eighth of an inch. I find that this gives the best results.

The operation 'of'niy improvedcombinati'on will be evident fronithe foregoing description without the necessity of additional detail. In emptying the loottleof its contents itwill be perceived that'when it is reversed in position the weightEwill drop intogroove D thusallowingith valveto be removed from its seat and the bottles contents topa'ss through the valve and then through the other parts, finding exit at the outlet-opening b.

Within the bottle-mouth "A and'around the lower periphery of the locking-stopper B is a packing-ring H, of cork or somesimilar suitable materiahwhich is situated tightly between ashoulder onthe inner face of the bottle-mouth A andthe lowerportion ofthelocking-stopper B for the purpose ofniaking a tight joint at that point'and preventing any possibility of leakage of' the contents of the bottle around the locking-stopper at the point where the latter comes in contact with the periphery of the mouth of thebottle.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claimas new,and' desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In anon-refillable bottle, the combination'with the bottle-neck having a bore of a given diameter, the locking-stopper inserted in the mouth end of the bottle-neck and provided with an opening of a given size, the circular area of said opening in the locking-stopper being to the valve-seat in the bore of the neck substantially as two to three, a channeled block situated within the bottle-mouth below the locking-stopper and having an outlet Whose area is substantially equal to that of the outlet in the locking-stopper but variable within certain narrow limits, a valve operative in connection with the valve-seat, and a movable weight between the valve and the channeled block, said weight being from two to three times as heavy as the valve, substantially as described.

2. In a non-refillable bottle, the combination with the bottle-neck having in the bore thereof a valve seat, a locking-stopper inserted non-removably in the mouth end of the bottle and provided with a central outletopening having a ratio to the valve-seat as two to three or thereabout, a channeled block in the bottle-mouth below the bottle-stopper and having an outlet which is subdivided into several openings, the sum total of which presents an area substantially equal to that of the opening in the locking-stopper but adapted to be varied if desired within certain narrow limits, a valve on the valve-seat, and a weight between the valve and the channeled block, said weight being from two to three times as heavy as the valve, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

LYMAN W. MERRIAM. Witnesses:

F. E. TASKER,

J AMEs A. CAHILL. 

